Tired.

So tired....and ready for some normal!

Originally we didn't have anything planned for this weekend and that was a nice change of pace. Then my mom called mid-week and wanted to get everyone together to grill and hang out. So we went there on Friday night and stayed over since it's a longer drive to our house and DH and I both drank. Around the same time my mom called, an old friend text DH about a housewarming campout at his lake house. So mom kept the kids yesterday/last night and we hung out at the lake with some old friends and crashed in our motorhome. I'm looking forward to my own bed tonight!

Taylor starts school on Thursday and while I'm ready for it, I'm not. Homework. Conferences. Boys. Dramatic girlfriends. :::sigh::: I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

And.....done!

We did it. The crazy is finally done and I survived! :)

• The zoo (and the only monkeys I came home with are the ones that were always mine, lol). Cole was so psyched to see those giraffes and they didn't disappoint! The only downside was the weather. We did things backwards....we did the indoor stuff first and the outdoor stuff last. By the time we got outside the clouds had rolled in and it was chilly!
• MOA with Nickelodeon Universe and Underwater World. Lots of walking, and a lot of riding, but a good time was had by all. The neatest thing was Cole getting to meet SpongeBob Squarepants and Diego. It was like he was meeting his heroes, lol. Just in awe and with big smiles. So glad I caught in on camera and that they were nice enough to let me take pictures. Some places that take their own pictures won't let you do that with your own camera and then they charge you for one picture:( Their employees even hammed it up so the kids would look my way and I could get a good shot, that was really nice and appreciated!
• Junior High orientation. Oy. It was long and it was a zoo, but everything is done. Bus pass, lunch pin number, health forms, and I'm signed up for their "Parent Portal" where I can check Tay's grades, attendance, etc. online. THAT will be nice! No more emails from the teacher or waiting until the report card to find out assignments are missing. There was so much running around that by the time we found that last thing we needed, I joked that I should get a sticker for successfully completing the scavenger hunt!
  

Tay gets her haircut tomorrow, but then I'm looking forward to a few days of NOTHING. We have offers to go up north for the weekend or to camp out for a housewarming party, but I'm content to hang out at home. Get caught up on some stuff. Find normal!

Crazy busy!

All summer long our weekends have been occupied with something or another, but August somehow gets the brunt of it all. Fitting in stuff we somehow couldn't find room for in the earlier months. The zoo. The amusement park. The large aquarium I know Cole will love.

Tomorrow is the last day before all hell breaks loose for a week. Thursday is appointments: Tay for her ears and me for my hair (whoo-hoo!!). Then I need to shop for Tay's birthday as she turns 13 on Monday *sob*. I'm not ready to have a teenager! Friday afternoon we leave to travel to Iowa for my brother's wedding on Saturday. DH and Cole need to be there early to try on their tuxes. I'm super excited that I got my dress on clearance and I LOVE it. I've been working out like mad and I know it will look good. I'm bummed I'm not included in the wedding party and this wedding has been a lot of drama, but I'm happy knowing I'll look good and have a great time with my cousin. We never get to hang together so we're excited :)

We'll come home on Sunday and DH will leave for a trip to Kansas to pick up a tank or two. The next day is Tay's birthday and she opted for a sleepover. Send good thoughts, I'll need them! Tuesday we will *finally* hit the amusement park. My mom is watching the little ones so we can go and have a good time without worrying about changing diapers or finding a restroom *right now*.

Later this month we have a weekend for the zoo and that aquarium (one on Saturday and the other on Monday). I say it every year, but next year I'll mean it : I'm planning this stuff earlier! :)

Tomorrow, last day of the Shred! I haven't seen a big loss, but I'm okay with that. I was looking to tone and I have so I'm happy with that. I think I just need to come to terms with the fact that this just might be the weight my body is happy with and it's healthy, so I can live with it.

August. Wth?

I can't believe it. August is *wait, I'm checking the calendar on my computer* 6 days away. Yikes. Where is the summer going? Busy weekends have made the months fly by. While I love having things to do, it makes the time go by so much quicker.

Well, at least I haven't been sitting on my butt, lol. We have hit the Relay for Life this year...my first time ever! I have purchased luminaries in the past, but this year the kids and I went out to visit my sister's employers Relay team. What a great experience. I think it was very eye-opening for Taylor to see all those luminaries lining the track and all those that walked the entire time we were there. Cancer has touched us through friends and family but she was too young to understand when those times happened. Our family had 9 luminaries lit that night: 3 "In Memory" and 6 "In Honor". One of my favorite pics from the night:




It was a great night....the weather was a little cool for it and we didn't stay all night, but I'd love to go again!!

Speaking of great weather, this weekend weather was awesome. Not hot July weather we're use to, but perfect for being active outside or relaxing on the deck at night. We leaving for DH's family's annual camping trip this Thursday so I hope we get lucky with the weather again!

I talked about not sitting on my butt earlier, and boy, if that isn't the truth! I started Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" and w.o.w. The workouts are only 20 minutes long, but she whomps on you for those 20 minutes! You do Level 1 for 10 days, Level 2 for 10 days and Level 3 for 10 days. As of today (Sunday) I'm on Level 2, Day 5. I'm just looking to tone up and lose some baggage upfront, but the 20 minutes is enough to make me feel good and hopefully I'll keep on working out when the 30 days is done.

Plans

I have a lot of them this summer:

• Take the kids to a zoo. The other day we saw an advertisement for the zoo and it featured a giraffe. Cole hopped to his feet all excited and said, "I have to see one of those!"
• Valley Fair. We didn't make it last year. We WILL make it this year before Taylor decides we're not cool enough to join her and her friends, lol.
• Underwater World at MOA. My new camera has an aquarium setting that I would love to try out. Cole has also really been into fish lately. Loves them!
• Not give a flying rat's patoot about what my flaky and fake SIL does. After some thinking, I feel sorry for her. I have the great husband, nice house (which we can pay for), and the awesome friends. I can live without drama, she can't survive without it.
  
• Find my storage room. I'm so excited for this!!! We are finally getting a shed *knocking on wood* so the tools, saws, etc. are getting out of my house. The day will finally come when I can say, "Oh, that it's in the storage room" and I will be able to find it. Decorating for holidays will be easy because while it's already organized, I'll be able to reach it! Whoo-hoo!
• Go to the park a lot. We live 2 miles from a small town with a few parks. The best thing? The paved bike trail right next to us leads us there. Fun for the kids, exercise for mom:)
  

And time is a flyin'.....

I'm over the baby stuff going. Really, I am. Okay, I'm not, but it took over a month to post that. Yikes.

It's turning green outside! Whoo-hoo!! I took advantage of the awesome weather this last week and spent 4 days doing everything and anything outside to get our yard looking nice. Basically, DH's "honey-do" list began my "just-get-it-done" list, lol.

Busy. Busy. Busy.

• We took a road trip in mid-March that included a stop at Bristol Motor Speedway which was AWESOME. Would love to go back!
  
• I have finally been heard. Tay has some issues with school. ADD or ADHD. I had an inkling, but her dad refused to believe anything could be "wrong" with his daughter so I agreed to give it a little time. Conferences last month had us in the counselor's office echoing the very things I wanted to address. She is VERY smart and VERY bright. She just can't harness it all to get the grades she deserves. A meeting this Wednesday will get the ball rolling.
• I love my Fitness Coach. I really do. But it's been too damn nice out to touch it. I'm staying active, I promise! Scale and I came to an agreement: it stays in a certain range and I'll step on it more often. So far so good.
  
• Easter came and went. I dread the same with happen with summer. :::sigh::::
• 4 graduation parties and 5 weddings this year. Yikes.
• I can't wait to go camping. DH actually relaxes and it's so nice to decide on a Thursday "Hey, let's throw some stuff in the motorhome and go." And we do it!
  

What a week.....

We went to the state fair on Labor Day and while it was Lexi's first time at the age of 7 months, it was my first time at the age of 30! First time for everything I guess! It was a lot of walking as that place was huge, but we had fun. Cole got to be a little farmer, Taylor got to go on some rides, and Lexi got to be cute:) She wore a little bonnet and so many passersby said, "Oh, what a cute baby". Here they are watching the parade...





As for the rest of the week...

About those stitches, Cole had his story and he stuck to it. It's was "up ladder and on book!". Turns out Tay was in the bathroom, Cole climbed up her ladder (to her lofted bed) and somehow his chin got caught on a super-hard-to-see screwhead on the side. He then fell on a book. As soon as he showed us, the screw was removed immediately and we checked for more. You kid proof and kid proof but they will *still* find something:( He's been a great sport and the stitches come out tomorrow!

Taylor had her first day at her new school on Thursday and she LOVED it. She made a few new friends, she likes her teacher, and I really like some of the things they do. Their required-to-purchase-from-the-school-planners have a super easy layout (for the super tired mom who has to check it!)and her teacher has great ideas for his classroom with organization for the students. Hoping it rubs off on her as her room is a been declared a hazardous zone. Thursday night she says to me, "I can't wait to go to school tomorrow!" Ah..I was hoping that day would come;)

We attended a truck show this weekend but could only stay one night as we had our friend's 5 year anniversary party Saturday night. DH worked hard on preparing the truck: washing her up, polishing, relettering the tires, etc. and it looked SO nice. Last year so many people stopped and took pictures of it. This year he wasn't even to the actual show yet and some guy at a fuel station asked him to hold up a minute so he could take a picture! We saw a LOT of trucks, hung out with some fun friends and froze our butts off in our tent that night. Good times:) Last night we celebrated with our friends and while it was rainy, we still had a good time. We were smart and brought our motorhome, parked it in their yard and crashed in there. No DUIs and a lot warmer than a tent!

It was a busy week and I'm ready for a break!